Portmanteau
by Khandalis
Summary: If you just combine two words—worlds…sometimes, you will get more than you bargained for.


(A/N: Portmanteau is set somewhere around the time that Nanako and Dojima were hospitalized. These are not drabbles...they all connect…somehow…My favorite pairing is never here, so I decided to write it myself….vaguely…. This is essentially me procrastinating writing my other stories. )

Portmanteau

* * *

><p>I.<p>

Smog: smoke + fog

_It was Sunday; it was morning._

_Seta Souji stared at his alarm clock as he waited for it to ring, signaling the beginning of his day. He did this every morning without fail; wake up before alarm clock and wait for it to ring. He could always just get up since his internal clock was consistent, but he didn't. Souji was a quick thinker, never hesitating, and made decisions on his feet. He was a leader who analyzed things with an observant eye, and communicated his findings with his team. He was the type of person who made the world react to him; he didn't react to the world. But, as redeeming and covetous those attributes may have been, there were times when Souji wanted—needed—guidance. Mornings, especially Sunday mornings, allowed him to unwind, and let the world carry him, rather than he carry the world. In the simple task of not moving (because he was already awake) until his alarm said so, Souji transferred the responsibility of deciding to someone else, even if for a short moment. As trivial as it might have seemed, for Souji, it was a much needed relief. _

_ "…What are you doing?" _

_ Souji looked up, surprised. Standing in his doorway was his uncle, Ryoutaro Dojima. The man was tall, and heavily built, and at the moment, staring at Souji like he was crazy. Dojima's face twisted into a slightly irritated scowl. "If you're up, get up. What are you waiting for? Are you sick or something?" Souji remained silent and just stared at his uncle. He didn't move and inch, or even change his breathing pattern. The only thing that indicated that he heard his uncle was the fact that they held each other's gaze. This was dangerous, he knew, but he wasn't going to move. His day hadn't begun just yet._

_ "Oi! Souji!" Dojima growled after a moment of silence. "Are you ignoring me?" Souji said nothing; he could practically see the steam billowing from his uncles ears._

_ "Look kid," Dojima growled as he began to take small steps toward his nephew. "I don't care if you want to sleep in or whatever, but I won't tolerate your rudeness!" He was hovering over Souji now. The boy hadn't moved an inch, and simply watched his uncle's advance. The stared in silence for a few more moments before Ryotaro Dojima did something unexpected. He sat down beside him. Souji couldn't help but look a little shocked._

_ "You okay, kid…?" The larger man asked, reaching out to feel the brow of his nephew._

_ BEEP! BEEEP! BEEEEP! BEE—!_

_ Souji's hand shot out from under his blanket at lightning speed and silenced the screeching object and Dojima flinched back. He was still for a moment, but then sat up on his futon, and resting his head in his arms with a groan. Souji didn't have to look at him to know that his uncle was staring in bewilderment._

_ "Dojima-oji-san…Good morning…." He said with a small smile. Dojima stared at him for a long moment before shaking his head and standing up._

"_You are one strange kid, you know." he muttered. Souji watched him go, and smiled ruefully to himself. It was trivial, yes; ludicrous, yes. But he would give that precious time when his mind was allowed to float and wander to no one. In those few moments between wake and his signal to awaken, Souji was free, free from everything. He was drifting thought the fog of sleep, and the smoke of reality. That midway point was his sanctuary, and he would allow no one to take it away. _

_ "Souji!" he heard his uncle yell from the kitchen. "Get down here!" Internally, Souji groaned, but he quickly made his way down the stairs. His uncle had sounded grouchy; you don't mess with Ryoutaro Dojima when he was grouchy. Souji slipped down the stairs as quietly as he could, and took his place beside his uncle. "Souji!" the man yelled again._

_ "…I'm right here, uncle." He said, rubbing his eyes sleepily. Souji gently brushed his grey hair out of his steel colored eyes and looked at his uncle. "…Did you need something?" Ryoutaro Dojimas simply stared at him._

_ "Uncle?"_

_ "You really need to stop doing that."_

_ "Doing what?" Souji asked confused._

_ "Being creepy." Dojima said with finality. Souji simply stared, uncomprehending. He wasn't creepy. _

_ "Help me make breakfast." Dojima ordered. Souji complied without a word. There was something about Dojima-san ordering him around. It felt as though someone was leading him, making decisions for him, and he could trust that person. It had the same effect as waiting for his alarm clock. Even for something as trivial as making breakfast, Souji felt a little calmer than before. Just a little calmer._

II.

lox: liquid + oxygen

'She hadn't changed at all.' Souji assessed after he studied his cousin's face. He had pulled a chair up to her bed and watched her, head held up in his hands. She was breathing evenly and deeply as if in a deep sleep. She was so young and pure. If it had been up to Souji, she would have never been involved. But it wasn't up to Souji and she had been. That was the reason she was in a coma.

"Nanako-chan…" he whispered. The tiny girl didn't show any indication that she heard him. He smiled sadly as he watched her even breathing. "Everything will be alright, Nanako. Your father, Uncle Dojima, is stabilized and we're well on our way to unraveling this mystery." He reached over and took her small, limp, hand in his own. "So don't worry, okay? Everything will be alright." Souji lapsed into silence and pressed her hand against his cheek. "I'm sure. It'll all be alright…."

III.

Evile: evil + vile

"_Hey, big bro? What is the Devil's Trill?"_

_Souji glanced up from the news on the TV that he was using to distract himself from the paper he __**should **__have been writing._

_ "The Devil's Trill?" he asked as Nanako took a seat at the low table beside him._

_ "Yeah. One of my friends whose brother plays the violin was talking about it. She said it was a story too scary to tell and wouldn't tell us." Nanako folded her arms and frowned. "Isn't it just a dumb story? What could be so scary about that?"_

_ Souji chuckled softly as he watched his cousin pout. "Would you like me to tell you the story of the Devil's Trill?"_

_ Nanako's eyes lit up immediately as she grinned. "Would you, big brother? I really want to hear it!" She starting jumping up and down and Souji couldn't help but laugh with her._

_ "Alright. Sit down and I'll start." Nanako sat and gave him her full attention. Souji smiled and patted her head. "The Devil's Trill story is about a man who was tempted and lost his peace of mind because of that temptation."_

_ Nanako frowned, uncomprehending. Souji restated in simpler terms. "It's a story about a man who was offered something because he was great. He was offered something so amazing that he spent his entire life trying to create it. He wasn't a bad man. He was actually quite nice. He was the best violinist in the entire world. Everyone wanted to hear his music because it was so beautiful. He was quite the skilled man."_

_ "Wow…" his younger cousin whispered. "Even kings?"_

_ Souji chuckled. "Yes, even kings. In fact, he was so amazing that the Devil came to him one night and asked to be his servant. He was surprised, and even proud that even the Devil himself wanted his talent. The Devil gave him everything he wanted and even things he wanted before he said so. The man was so impressed that he gave the Devil his violin to play, wondering how good the Devil was. And to his surprise, the Devil played a song that was so amazing and beautiful that he was shocked. The man spent the entire night trying to write down the songs and fell asleep working at his table." Souji stopped to take a breath and see if Nanako was still engaged. He smiled and continued when he saw she was leaning toward him in anticipation. _

_ "The man, Tartini, spent the rest of his life trying to create what he heard, but he could never do it. He did write a piece that he said resembled what he heard, but wasn't nearly as good though. He called that the "Devil's Trill". Everyone loved it, but he said that it hurt his heart so much that he would give up anything just to be able to record the actual piece." _

_ "Wow…" Nanako exclaimed in wonder. She stared at Souji for a long time as if rolling something heavy in her mind._

_ "What is it?" he asked._

_ "Do you have something like that?"_

_ "Like what?"_

_ "Something so beautiful and amazing that you would spend your whole life trying to get it, even if it made you miserable."_

_ Souji smiled distantly, ruffled her hair, and turned back to the television. He never answered her question._

IV.

hazmat: hazardous + material

Everyone seemed to think that Souji and Yosuke would end up dating. The very thought was ludicrous to Souji. Yosuke was too near, too simple, and frankly, he'd been nothing but a friend to Souji. (Furthermore, he wasn't there to satisfy Yosuke's sexual curiosity. He'd been there, done that, and already confirmed what team he played for). But if they got together, no one would be surprised. And that was his problem. He'd always been perfect to a T. He played whatever role assigned to him without complaint, and everyone thought he was the greatest. It wasn't suffocating though. Souji regarded these sentiments the same he would a shirt; it was just something to wear. It wasn't as if he was hiding it either; it was just that no one had asked. Perhaps it was a miracle and a blessing that people couldn't read his thoughts. He wondered what his friends would think if they knew the darker desires of his heart, or just how imperfect he truly was.

Souji stepped into the dimly lit room where he uncle was staying in to recover. There was nothing special about the room itself. It was pretty much bare, with white walls. The only colorful thing in it was the collection of flowers and get well cards collecting on a table near the bed.

"…Dojima-san?" he called out quietly. Souji didn't want to turn on the light if his uncle was sleeping. He was about to turn and leave when he heard the man the movement of sheets.

"…Souji….?"

"Ah, I'm sorry. Did I wake you?"

Dojima sat up slowly and rubbed his eyes. "…Don't worry about it."

Souji turned on the light farthest from the bed so that his uncle's eyes could take a moment to adjust and walked toward the bed. "Do you need anything, uncle?" he asked. The older man just grunted as he tried to find a comfortable position to sit in. Souji watched as he struggled, but didn't offer to help. He knew his uncle very well. Offering aid now would offend him

"How's Nanako?" Dojima asked when he was finally situated.

"The same. She seems fine, but she is unresponsive." He replied.

"…I see."

They were silent for a while. Dojima was staring at the blank television, apparently deep in thought. Souji took that as an opportunity to study his uncle. The man looked worn, and tired; so very tired. Souji could see the bags under his eyes. The lines in his brow had deepened as well. Souji suppressed the urge to reach over and smooth them out. When he looked up again, his uncle was staring at him.

"Yes?"

"Does any of this bother you, kid?

Souji blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Any of this, does it even bother you?" his uncle repeated. "You look just as calm as ever."

For a split second, Souji felt indignant anger rise at his uncle's accusatory tone, but calmed himself. "Of course it bothers me." He said, a hint of hurt in his voice. "You're family."

"Just familial duty?"

"No."

Souji looked down at his hands and they lapsed into silence a second time.

"…It's not just familial duty because I love the both of you." he began, "I love Nanako-chan. And I love you, Dojima-san." That last part was whispered. Souji looked glanced up to see his uncle's reaction, but the man had fallen asleep. Without another word, Souji got up, lowered the man into a suitable sleeping position, and pulled the hospital cover up to his chest. He gathered his things quietly, and turned off the lights when he reached the door. A soft snore echoed through the room. Souji looked over his shoulder at his uncle and smiled before turning to leave again.

V.

gription: grip + friction

_It was eleven o' clock, and Souji wasn't asleep yet. _

_ He lay painfully awake as stomach protested against whatever that crunchy blue and green stuff in the fridge that he had eaten earlier was. He turned his head away from the alarm clock and up at the ceiling; the world swam. With a groan, he sat up in bed and slowly made his way to the second floor restroom. And after seven minutes of purging his colon, Souji wandered back towards his room and noticed a light on in the kitchen. From the top of the stairs, he saw his Dojima-san mulling over what was probably a difficult case. The older man groaned aloud and rested his head against the low table. Then, he lifted a head to message his stiff neck and shoulders._

_ "….You're still awake, uncle?" Souji said as he made his way down the steps. _

_ Dojima glanced over his shoulder and focused on Souji's approaching form. He grunted and rubbed his shoulder absentmindedly. "…What about you? Why are you still awake?"_

_ "It's eleven o' clock." Souji stated; the time alone was a justification. "And I couldn't sleep."_

_ "Bad dream?"_

_ Souji shook his head. "Indigestion."_

_ The look Dojima gave him seemed to say that the other man wasn't surprised. Then again, Souji didn't blame him. He did have a strange habit of eating questionable foods out of the fridge. His uncle leaned a little on the table and popped a crick in his neck, sighing as some of the tension left his body._

"…_want me to massage you?" Souji offered offhandedly._

_ His uncle looked up at him in surprise. Souji was half expecting the man to decline and tell him that he should go to bed to be ready for school. But he didn't. Instead, he grunted and motioned for Souji to come over. The silver haired teen smiled gently, walked over and kneeled behind his uncle. Dojima flinched when his hands touched him._

_ "Relax…" Souji breathed._

_ "Your hands are cold." Dojima said._

_ "Sorry." Souji murmured as he kneaded a tense knot of muscles on his uncle's shoulders. "…stuck on a case?" he asked after a moment. The air around them was thick with awkward, and Souji felt an overpowering desire to dispel it._

_ "Y-yeah…" Dojima's voice caught as Souji curled his thumb and forefinger around a sore muscle and tugged slightly. "How…how is school…?"_

_ "It's okay. I've made friends and my grades are pretty good."_

_ A groan escaped from Dojima's lips as Souji's fingers hit a particularly sore spot, causing his body to tense. Souji paused for a moment, and then continued. _

_ "Lean forward a bit, uncle." Souji said, and Dojima did. Souji moved a little closer until his knee was pressing slightly at the base of his uncle's spine. He could feel the older man twitching under the merciless and meticulous pounding of his fingers into his shoulder and neck._

_ "Souji." Dojima hissed as his body tensed. "You're hurting me." _

_ "Just hold out a little longer, Dojima-san." Souji said through gritted teeth, his brow furrowed in concentration. He could almost feel the tension pouring off the other man as he continued his assault on his back. But Souji knew what he was doing; he'd taken a massage therapy class in the city half a year prior._

_ "Souji, I think you've done enou—!" Dojima began to say, but choked on the air in his lungs mid-sentence. Behind him, Souji smiled as he felt the knotted muscles relax beneath his fingers. His uncle sighed as rested his head against the low table once more, seemingly spent because of the whole ordeal._

_ "How was it?" Souji asked, trying hard—and failing—to keep the amusement out of his voice._

_ "Go to bed, kid." Doijima said tiredly. Souji grinned, but said nothing and headed for the stairs. When he was halfway to his room, Dojima called to him._

_ "Oi, Souji!"_

_ The silver haired boy looked over the side of the staircase. "Yes?"_

_ "…goodnight. And thanks."_

_ Souji smiled once again. "You're welcome. And goodnight, Dojima-san."_

VI.

Genome: gene + chromosome

_Ring! Rrring! Rrrrring!_

_ Click_

"…Hello?"

"Souji? It's Kanji."

"Oh, hey."

"It's late. I'll get to the point. Dude?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm not stupid."

"…I never said you were, Kanji."

"You didn't have to. The way you tried to play off my question today said it all. You guys are so alike."

"Who?"

"You and your uncle, man."

"Huh? Why?"

"You're both as stubborn as heck, never leave well enough alone, and you're in denial."

"I'm not denying anything, Kanji."

"First step of denial: Deny that you are in denial. Souji, I can totally see through you."

"….maybe I'm just falling apart."

"Nah. You're not the type. You're beating yourself up because the people around you got hurt. But before you can help them, you have to deal with that guilt of yours."

"Yeah…"

"Hey, dude?"

"Hm?"

"It'll be okay man. We'll make sure of it."

"…Yeah. Thanks."

"Well, then. I'll come visit you, Nanako, and Dojima-san at the hospital tomorrow. Goodnight, Souji."

"…Goodnight."

_Click_

VII.

Insinuendo: insinuation + innuendo

_Souji wasn't sure how or when it happened, but one night, he found himself in his uncle's bed. _

_ Unlike Souji, Dojima had an actual bed rather than a futon in his room. He had offered to buy one for Souji, but Souji had refused, saying that it was unnecessary. The topic was never brought up for discussion again. So, when Souji opened his eyes one Sunday morning, expecting to see his alarm clock, to say that he was surprised would be an understatement. Beside him, fast asleep, was Dojima. Souji stared wide eyed at his sleeping form, too shocked to do much else. For a moment, he thought that his uncle had probably gotten drunk the previous night and wandered into his room. However, upon closer inspection, it seemed that the opposite was true. Souji definitely smelled alcohol, but it was on himself and not his uncle. Yet, he had no recollection of drinking. Souji vowed then and there never to touch alcohol again. _

_What he did next was totally uncalled for. Alcohol is filtered out of the body at four percent every forty minutes. So, perhaps he could blame it all on the alcohol that was still very much in his system. He remembered staring at Dojima for a long time, simply studying his face. His uncle's face was very angular. He had facial hair, but Souji hesitated to call his countenance "bushy." Strangely enough, his uncle had longer eyelashes than he would have thought for a man like him. And his skin looked clear and smooth. He remembered wanting to touch it… and, he did. _

_Souji gently trailed his fingers across Dojima's face, slowly feeling every inch of the man's visage. He touched his closed eyelids and trailed his forefinger over his nose. He drew tiny circles on his cheeks and ghosted soft fingertips over Dojima's lips. His uncle never moved or gave a note of discomfort save a little murmuring. Slowly, Souji's hands drifted up to his uncle's hair, and he slipped his fingers through, feeling all the way to the scalp. It wasn't coarse like he assumed, but firm and soft. He massaged his uncle's scalp gently, and purposely. Dojiam responded with what seemed like a purr. For the life of him, Souji had no idea what he was doing. He just knew he couldn't stop._

"…_.Chisato."_

_Souji stopped massaging his uncle's scalp and stared into the man's face. The place where his eyebrows were usually knotted in stress was smooth and his countenance was calm. _

"…_.Chisato..." he said again. _

_It was the second time Dojima said her name that he retracted his fingers from the firm but soft hair, and removed himself from his uncle's bed. _

_Souji had no idea what he had been doing, and he had no idea what made him stop._

VIII.

breathalyzer: breath + analyzer

"Mom…"

Souji and Teddy looked up from where the two sat and stared at Nanako in shock. Was she waking?

"Mother…" the small girl whispered brokenly.

"Nanako!" Souji exclaimed, softly but firmly. "Nanako, can you hear me?" he grasped his cousin's hands tightly within his own.

"Nana-chan…" Teddy murmured mournfully.

Tears streamed down the young girl's face slowly as she whimpered, and then grew still. Souji stared at her, a myriad of emotions flashing across his usually emotionless face: anger, fear, compassion, concern, pain. As he was struggling to keep his composure, Souji felt a firm hand on his shoulder. He glanced up to see Teddy gazing at Nanako with a determined expression.

"Sensei…we are going to save Nana-chan." He gritted out. "No matter what it takes."

Souji brought his cousin's hand to his cheek and closed his eyes. He was silent for a long moment before he gently placed Nanako's hands over her stomach and turned to face Teddy; his visage was as calm and determined as ever.

"Of course."

IX.

Pixel: picture + element

_Although Nanako had wished for it and begged for it, Dojima was only able to accompany them to Junes once. _

_ "Everything's great at your Junes~!" Nanako squealed as skipped down the food isle._

_ "Nanako, don't run through the store!" her father called out in his gruff voice. Souji bit back a chuckle. Dojima frowned and gave him a hard look._

_ "What's so funny?" the man grumbled._

_ "Ah, it's nothing." Souji said with an innocent smile. Dojima didn't look like he believed him._

_ "Nii-san, Dad! Let's go take a picture!" Nanako called to them from across the store. Dojima immediately began to scold her for such behavior, and again, Souji found himself laughing because of the pleasant interactions between father and daughter. Nanako ignored her father's words and stormed up to the two of them and proceeded to drag them over to an area set up for family photos. Souji gave himself a once over as he was dragged by his younger cousin and frowned. He wasn't exactly dressed for a family photo. He'd been to Junes about a billion times before (and he had been feeling particularly lazy that morning), so he left the house in capri-like jogging pants, sandals, and a white shirt that slimmed around his waist. In his opinion, it wasn't his most manliest (or coolest for that matter) of outfits._

_ "Um…Nanako-chan? I don't think—" he was about to say when the photographer interrupted him. _

_ "What a lovely family!" the woman exclaimed. She grabbed Dojima by the arm and pulled over to a spot in front of the white sheet by the side. "I family trip to Junes definitely deserves a family picture!" She grabbed Souji and practically threw him into the chair that Dojima was standing in front of; Nanako was placed onto his lap. Before any of them could say anything, or even blink for that matter, the photographer had snapped their pictures and rung up the bill. Needless to say, they ended up buying them due to her forcefulness, but the whole thing was soon forgotten as they explored more of the inner walls of Junes. Therefore, they were rightfully surprised when the pictures were mailed to Dojima's house a few days later._

_ "The pictures are here! The pictures are here!" Nanako squealed with excitement when Dojima brought in the mail. Souji couldn't' help smiling at her excitement. His uncle opened the envelope, careful not to rip the picture inside and pulled out the contents. He took one look at the first photo and started laughing. And he didn't stop. He leaned against the wall and laughed heartily. Both Nanako and Souji stared at him in bewilderment. Dojima never laughed and hardly smiled, so whatever was in the picture had to be serious. Dojima wiped his eyes and motioned for Nanako to take a look. Hesitant, the young girl came over, and to Souji's increasing curiously, as soon as she saw it, she started laughing. _

_ "What's so funny?" Souji asked._

_ "Ah, nothing." Dojima replied with a grin. Souji frowned, walked over, and took the pictures. As soon as he laid eyes on them, he paled. The father-daughter pair started chortling all over again. The forceful photographer had taken it upon herself to give the "love family" a free template for their family photo. Souji groaned out loud, much to Nanako and Dojima's amusement. He was never leaving the house looking like that again._

_ In glittery pink and white letters, the template read:_

A Beautiful Family: Dad, Mom, and Daughter

X.

Meld: melt + weld

Souji stepped into the dimly lit hospital room his uncle occupied. At first, he didn't move; he just stood in the doorway and watched his sleeping uncle from across the room. When he was sure that the man wouldn't wake up, he closed the door and then walked over to the bed.

"Oji-san…" he murmured. "Donjima-san…". He continued to experiment with name and titles to address the man before him. "Ry-Ryotaro-san…" Souji frowned. He actually didn't like that one.

"Dojima-san…" he tried again. "I'm going to stop the person who hurt you and Nanako. I don't know what's going to happen when I confront the person or if I will even come back alive. But, I'm leaving knowing all of the risks, so don't be sad or angry if I don't return."

Souji hung his head and gazed at his feet. His shoelaces were beginning to swim as he eyes filled with tears. He took a deep breath before continuing.

"I'm really sorry, Dojima-san. It was never my intention to involve you in all this. Heck, I only learned about it shortly after coming here. And because of it, I could never be fully truthful with you. I'm sorry. If and when I make it back, I'll tell you everything. I promise. Well…I've already said my goodbyes to Nanako-chan, so I'll be going now, Uncle Dojima, I love you and Nanako. For your sakes and the sake of this town, I'll do my utmost."

Souji bowed low, holding his position for a few moments before turning to leave. However, before he could take a step, something held him back. Souji looked over his should to see Dojima grasping the corner of his sleeve. Souji looked at him in surprise. The man must have done it unconsciously, because his eyes were still closed in sleep.

"C…c…" the man murmured in his sleep.

Souji faltered a little. '_Chisato.' _He said mentally for his uncle.

"…Crazy…brat…"

Souji stopped moving for a moment and started Dojima as his hand released his sleeve and fell limply to his side. Souji smiled down at his sleeping uncle before walking toward the door. When he reach the doorway, he turned around and said one last thing before leaving.

"I'll be back, uncle."

* * *

><p>(AN: OMG. I can't believe this is finally done. My brain is fried from exams…I'm glad I finally got to post this. I've been working on it for a REALLY long time…)

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